Apparatus for making and burning gaseous fuel



(No Model.) 2Sheetsneeu 1.

J. LOGKE & s. 0. RICHARDSON. Jr. APPARATUS FOR MAKING AND BURNING GASEQUS FUEL.

No. 403,434. v Patented May 1 4,)889 v (IILIIT (N0 Modem 2 SheetsSheet 2.

J.-LOCKE & S. 0. RICHARDSON, Jr. APPARATUS FOR MAKING AND BURNING GASEOUS FUEL.

Patented May 14, 1889..

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIcE.

JOSEPH LOCKE, OF GLENVVOOD, AND SOLON O. RICHARDSON, JR, OF WAKE- FIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-HALF TO SAID RICHARDSON, AND E. D. LIBBY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING AND BURNING GASEOUS FUEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 403,434, dated May 14, 1889.

Application filed April 2, 1888. Serial No. 269,233- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JOSEPH LOCKE and SOLON O. RICHARDSON, J 1:, respectively of Glenwood (Medford) and Vakefield, both in 5 the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain' new and usef ul Improvements in Apparatuses for Making and Burning Gaseous Fuel, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide an improved apparatus f r vaporizing oil, superheating steam, mingling the resulting gases, and directing the jets of flame caused by their combustion, so that said jets will supply the heat which vaporizes the oil and superheats the steam. In attaining these results we make use of the improved apparatus which we will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of our improved apparatus. Fig. 2 represents a top view of the same. Fig. 3 represents a sectional view. Fig. 4

2 5 represents a sectional view of a glass-furnace to which our improved apparatus is applied.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, (1- represents a cast-metal 3o shell, which {is preferably approximately spherical or somewhat oval in shape, as shown. Said shell, which we will term a retort, receives a pipe, I), which conducts oil (such as crude petroleum) from a reservoir into the re- 3 5 tort and discharges it in a jet against the inner surface of the retort, the latter being heated, as hereinafter described, so that the oil is vaporized by its contact with the heated surface of the retort.

40 0 represents a pipe extending from the interior of the retort to a mixing-chamber, d, located outside of the retort, said pipe conducting the vapors and gases resulting from the vaporization of the oil into. the mixingchamber.

e represents a pipe, which receives steam from a boiler and is coiled about the retort, as shown, one end of said pipe entering the mixing-chamber d at a point opposite the pipe so a, so that the gases resulting from the superheating and decomposition of steam which passes through the pipe e are mingled with the hydrocarbon vapors from the retort in said chamber. A battle-plate, f, is placed in the mixing-chamber between the pipes c e, to insure the thorough mixture of the carbon from the oil and the hydrogen from the superheated steam. The mixed gases form an inflammable gas, which is conducted from the mixing-chamber by pipes h h to a burner, 2', which is an annular chamber surrounding the base or lower portion of the retort, and provided in its upper side with a series of orifices,

j, at which thegas is ignited. Said orifices are arranged to direct the jets of flame in such proximity to the retort and the steam-coil thereon as to supply the heat required to vaporize the oil and decompose the steam.

It will be seen that by first mingling the gases and then using the flame caused by their combustion to generate the gases we fully utilize the heat. The gases mixed before combustion are consumed to better ad-v vantage and with a more elongated and better directed flame than when the vaporized oil only is admitted to the burner and ignited at the orifices thereof, and the gases of the decomposed steam are supplied to the jets of flame outside of the burner, as shown in Letters Patent Nos. 349,228 and 371,956, granted to us, respectively, September-14, 1886,

. and October 25, 1887.

Thisimproved apparatus has been successfully used by us in heating a glass-furnace, the apparatus being placed in the eye of the 8 5 furnace so as to direct the jets of flame upwardly toward the crown thereof, as shown in Fig. 4. The apparatus is provided with trucks m, mounted on axles suitably attached to the burner t'. Said trucks rest on 0 tracks n on a vertically-movable platform,

0, which is supported by a standard, 1), adapted to slide in a fixed vertical guide or socket, q. The platform may be raised and lowered by means of a lever, 1', which is pivoted at r to a fixed support, 8, and has a slot, 11, receiving a pin, 2, projecting through a slot, 1-, in the socket q. \Vhen the platform is lowered, as shown in dotted lines in Fig.

4, its tracks coincide with fixed tracks 11- uwe below the furnace, so that the apparatus on the platform may be moved therefrom onto one of the tracks and another apparatus may be moved onto the platform from the other track. It will be seen, therefore, that in case the apparatus in use becomes inoperative or needs repairing it can be removed and another put in its place so quickly that there will be no danger of breaking the glass-pots in the furnace by contract-ion, as there would .be if the supply of heat were discontinued -various other purposes to which it is applicable.

The apparatus may be located so as to direct the flame either horizontally or vertically.

We do not limit ourselves in all cases to an annular burner and a circular retort, as the mixing-chamber may be used in connection with a retort and burner of different form, if preferred. It may be possible to dispense with the mixing-chamber and mingle the gases in the burner; hence we do not limit ourselves strictly to the mixing-chamber, although we consider it a very decided advantage in insuring a thorough mixture of the gases before combustion.

If desired, we may use natural gas or gas generated outside of the apparatus, instead of the gas formed by the vaporization of oil in the apparatus. To this end we provide the pipe b with a branch, 1), adapted to be connected with a source of natural-gas supply, the pipe I) being shut off by a valve, 1:. The natural gas thus supplied may pass through the retort to the mixing-chamber, or may pass directly to the mixing-chamber or burner without entering the retort. The branch I) has a valve, 1*, whereby it may be shut off.

.e are thus enabled to use oil or natural gas alternately or interchangeably, so that if the supply of either is stopped the other may be called into requisition.

\Ve claim 1. In an apparatus for making and burning gaseous fuel, the combination of a retort, an oil-supply pipe entering the interior of the retort, a gas-outlet pipe extending from the retort, a steam-pipe surrounding said retort and arranged to be heated for the decomposition of steam therein, and aburner receiving 1 the gases from said pipes and having orifices for the combustion of the gases, as set forth.

2. In an apparatus for making and burning gaseous fuel, the combination of a retort, an oil or gas supply pipe entering the retort, a gas-outlet pipe extending from the retort, a steam-pipe surrounding said retort and arranged to be heated for the decomposition of steam therein, a mixing-chamber communicating with the gas-outlet and steam pipes, and a burner communicating with the mixing-chamber and surrounding the retort, as set forth.

3. The combination of the retort, the oil or gas supply pipe entering said retort and extended to near the upper end thereof, the

steam-supply pipe coiled upon the retort, the

gas-outlet pipe extending fromthe interior of said retort, and the burner surrounding the retort and communicating with the gas-outlet and steam pipes, as set forth.

4. The combination of the retort, the oil or gas supply pipe entering said retort, the steam-supply pipe coiled upon the retort, the gas-outlet pipe extending from the retort, the mixing-chamber beneath said retort receiving the gas-outlet pipe at one side and the steam-pipe at the other side and having the interposed baflie-plate, and the burner surrounding the retort and communicating with the mixing-chamber, as set forth.

5. The combination of the retort, the oilsupply pipe entering the retort, the steamsupply pipe coiled upon the retort, a steamregulator, y, in said pipe, the gas-outlet pipe extending from the interior of said-retort, the burner surrounding the retort, and the mixing-chamber disposed beneath said retort and having the gas-outlet and steam pipes entering at opposite sides thereof, as set forth. 6. In an apparatus for making and burning gaseous fuel, the combination of a retort, an oil-supply pipe entering the retort, a branch, 1), adapted to admit gas from an outside source to said pipe, said pipe and branch being provided with valves whereby either may be shut ofi, a gas-outlet pipe extending from the retort, a steam-pipe surrounding said retort and arranged to be heated for the decomposition of steam therein, the mixingchamber beneath said retort, and a burner receiving the gases from said pipes and having orifices for the combustion of thegases, as set foith.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 24th day of March, A. I). 1888.

J OSEPII LOOKE. SOLON O. RICHARDSON, JR.

\Vitnesses:

(I. F. BROWN, A. D. HARRISON.

Correction in Letters Patent No. 403,434.

ltvis hereby certif ed that Letters Patent No. 463,434, granted May 14, 1889, the application of oseph Locke, of Glenwood, and Solon 0. Richardson, J Wakefield, l Iassachusetts, for an improvement in Apparatus for Making and ing Gaseous Fuel, was erroneously issued to said Joseph Locke and Solon O. ardson, Jr., and E. D. Libby, that said Letters Patent should have been issu Jn, S. 0. Richardson, and- E. D. Libby, said assignees of one-half interest; and that the p Joseph Locke, Solon 0. Richardson,

Richardson and E. D. Libby being correction has been made in the files and records of the case in the Patent and should be read in the Letters Patent that the same may conform thereto.

Signed, countersigned, and sealed this 28th day of May, A. D. 1889.

CYRUS BUSSEY,

Assistant Secretary of the In [sEAL] Gountersigned 0. E. MITCHELL,

Commissioner of Patents. 

